News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-04-07
A COSTLY TOMB FOR A PARROT.
He Saved His Mistress from Robbers
and Now Lies in State.

! All the parrots that history has handed
down to us thus far have achieved fame
! by their feats of stump speaking. In
no case have any of them made any stir
after death. A young man found a par
rot IN New York whose brave deeds for
number of years and the amount of
SplendOr he fell into after his wings had
ceased to flap and he had squawked his
last squawk, entitle him to a place in
history. The bird came into this world
at the top of a high baobab tree in the
island of Madagascar, and was one of
the good old Psittacide family. While
still very young and not possessed of
much more sense than the gilded youths
who lead dogs up and down Fifth avenue,
he happened to take his daily hop abroad
too near tie coast He fell into the
hands of pirates who lugged hiru off in
bag, in spite of his lusty screaming,
and took him aboard their ship, where
he got no consolation beyond dry bread
and round Spanish oaths.
After being carried through series
of adventures, about which he could
never after be induced to speak, he
finally brought up in Calcutta. There
he was bought by q wealthy American
woman who was travelling for pleasure.
From then until death claimed him he
was happy. He travelled with her all
through India, living in bungalows, eat
ing curry, Watching dervishes at their,
whirls anon discovering spOOr and doing
names that the writer's of heavy English
books of adventure never tire of relat-
ing. He was named Bill, not on account
,R Il Nf &1,o lN11f
because it happened to be lying around
loose. One night thieves broke into the
wealthy American woman's bungalow,
and probably would have walked off
with all her portable riches after stab
bing her to death, but for the watchful-
ness of Bill. Like the geese who saved
Rome Bill heard the marauders, and un-
like them he swore roundly in Spanish,
and rent the air of HindoOstan with
loud cries of "Chagrangl chagrangl"
which is pure HindooStanee and means
"Help, help We are beset by dogs Of
robbers" The thieves ran away, to the
great glory of Bill and satisfaction of
his mistress, and ever afterward Bill oc-
cupied O warm, roomy corner in her
heart. After seeing the world thorough
ly he came home with her and settled
down in a mere mansion on Murray
Hill.
Six weeks ago Bill died. His mistress
sent him to bird stuffer, in Broadway.
He loaded Bill mp with arsenic and
other things which defy decay, put i'll a
nice new yellow glass eye, with bold,
black pupil and then the bird was ready
for the tomb. A manufacturing COM
pany got tie job of making the tomb.
They had orders to spare no expense, so
they turned their best artists loose on a
big block of rosewood. On his left side,
his head resting on pink satin cushion,
lay Bill at full length. His new glass
eye looked peaceful, and all his green
and yellow feathers shone bright with
post-mOrtem splendor. All around him,
the walls OF the polished solid rosewood
caslxet were quilted with hand-sewed
pink satin cushions. A thick piece of
clear plate glass. with heveled edges,
caves people u good chanGo to SuAo VII
Bills calm features. The carving of the
casket was rich and fine. 1t would have
taken one skilled artist a month to do it.
A tracery of vines and sprays of flowers
with every detail faithfully worked out,
covered the lid of the casket. The same
decoration was on each side. The cas-
ket is six inches high and eighteen inches
long, and cost s., 900. From to-day |
until he wears out Bill will repose in it |
on q marble pedestal, which his mistress
has caused to be placed i'll her parlor.-
n. Y. World.